What is a 5th gen without.....
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LandCruiser
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Lolwut?
Without a locker the wheels/tire without traction will get the power and just spin. Basically, a front and rear one wheel drive. The other tires with traction will get no power.
At least my 2002 has a center lock diff but my (new to me) 2010 has none of that and no rear locker.
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CrazyNorwegian
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Honestly thought this was a spam bot thread at first. But, all 4wd 5th gens have a-trac which is an awesome feature that I won't explain here, but I'm sure with a quick search you can learn much about.
BigredTEX
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By engaging 4Hi in your 5th gen you are "locking" the center diff. If you have an LE you are locking the enter diff, if you have and SR5 or TE you are engaging the transfer case, accomplishing the same thing. If you have other than a TE, ATRAC is kicking in to provide a better than mechanical limited slip at all four corners.
Open diffs will provide you true two wheel drive when the center diff is locked or the transfer case is engaged. A rear locker will give you true three wheel drive. ATRAC works pretty well to give you what I would consider 3 1/2 wheel drive. I've seen a two wheel drive vehicle get stuck on wet grass and a "4WD" vehicle get stuck in a puddle of water. Add limited slip rear diff and it's better. Add front and rear limited slip and it gets pretty good. Add a rear locker and it gets even better. Two lockers and you will have to work to get stuck, but it's still possible.
Open diffs will provide you true two wheel drive when the center diff is locked or the transfer case is engaged. A rear locker will give you true three wheel drive. ATRAC works pretty well to give you what I would consider 3 1/2 wheel drive. I've seen a two wheel drive vehicle get stuck on wet grass and a "4WD" vehicle get stuck in a puddle of water. Add limited slip rear diff and it's better. Add front and rear limited slip and it gets pretty good. Add a rear locker and it gets even better. Two lockers and you will have to work to get stuck, but it's still possible.
I then wonder why my 2002 has a switch to engage the center lock. I think with the switch disabled it enabled 4Hi on pavement with patchy snowy or muddy roads. What about 4Lo?
hehe "3 1/2 wheel drive" yeah, that's what it is. Unfortunately, that one tire will just sit and spin.
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ATRAC vs lockers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtlOegpRu6s
mikey's2010SR5
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3wbdriver
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The original WWII Jeep and Power Wagons managed to go all sorts of crazy places during that war without the benefit of locking differentials. My old 46 CJ-2A didn't have them and I still had to make a concerted effort to get it stuck in anything but deep mud. The vast majority of 4WD vehicles built until recently did not have locking diffs as standard equipment.
My 2011 2WD Tundra with electronic limited slip (ATRAC) was able to get me off several muddy oil rig locations while coworkers had to engage 4WD to get moving. That standard ATRAC is a very capable little item. Do not discount its effectiveness. A lot of people - including me - use the rear locker as a crutch that they really don't need as often as they think.
My 2011 2WD Tundra with electronic limited slip (ATRAC) was able to get me off several muddy oil rig locations while coworkers had to engage 4WD to get moving. That standard ATRAC is a very capable little item. Do not discount its effectiveness. A lot of people - including me - use the rear locker as a crutch that they really don't need as often as they think.
3wbdriver
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Limited, SR5, or Trail?
bimrunner
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Well, like all others said: atrac. If it's not enough for you in real world driving, install some air lockers. If what you want is driving on the road in snow, don't fear 4hi. If you rock crawl, you probably will enjoy a re-gear and lockers if atrac isn't enough.
Apex Overland
New member
Thank you sir for making me feel better about myself. Always nice to know there is at least one person dumber than me.
All three of my 4runners are/were SR5. There were times where it was necessary to lock the center and often that wasn't enough when front and rear tires lose traction and are spinning without a locker.
I've gotten myself unstuck many times but i'm getting older now and would prefer a push button alternative than getting out with a shovel or stuffing things under the tires.
trolls.
Thank you for that. It's just as I suspected - a two wheel drive or rather, a 3.5 wheel drive.
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3wbdriver
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I'm going on 57 so I understand what you are saying. But I also understand in most of the situations you reference a little momentum goes a long way. And I understand sometimes you have to do it on the cheap and make compromises simply because you cannot afford the good stuff. But it doesn't make me denigrate the vehicle I cheaped out on.
My off road option is to put it in 4WD (lock the center diff), when I begin driving off road period. Waiting until you NEED it is usually counterproductive and you've already dug in enough to be non-self-recoverable. And sometimes all the gew-gaws just aren't enough period. Hence my reason for buying a winch bumper.
